A MARRIED At First Sight bride has dropped a huge hint she’s split with her show partner.
The E4 contestant, whose rollercoaster relationship and fiery arguments are continuing to play out on-screen, has taken to Instagram to post a telling comment.
A Married at First Sight UK bride has dropped a huge hint she’s split from her show partner[/caption]
Grace and Ashley’s rollercoaster relationship has played out on screen[/caption]
The Norwich-based midwife said she didn’t owe sex to ‘a stranger on a reality TV show’[/caption]
Grace, 31, and Ashley, 35, have been a notoriously rocky MAFS pairing so far, with the Norwich lass breaking down in tears as soon as she met her husband at the altar because she didn’t find him attractive.
She even threatened to leave the show in the aftermath before likening discussions with her operations director spouse as “like talking to a brick wall”
Viewers have deemed her as a walking red flag and blasted her “manipulative” attitude.
Now in a cryptic comment posted to her Instagram grid, alongside an image showing the couple on the sofa at the Commitment Ceremony, the midwife addressed her previous comments on her fears of sleeping with her spouse.
In her frank caption she put: “In case this needs saying, and I fear it does: buying contraceptive is a practicality. It is not a form of consent.
“You can withdraw consent at any time.
“You do not owe anyone sex.”
In a comment appearing to be directed towards Ashley she put: “I especially do not owe it to a stranger I met on a reality TV show.
“I do not accept any alternative opinion.”
While the upload has more than 1,000 likes, Ashley has banned comments from the post.
Grace’s words came during the recent episode, and fans were quick to support her corner.
One wrote on Instagram: “It was hard to watch this moment on @mafsuk – I was thrilled to see Grace speak out and remind viewers of the importance of consent at every stage of intimacy, reminding folks that they can say no.
“These episodes, of course, do not include everything – and narratives are pushed in one direction & edited over, but at the end of the day: someone can take consent back at any stage of intimacy – even mid-moment – and you cannot consent if you’re intoxicated.”
A second posted: “My heart is breaking for Grace this season, they had such a great opportunity to do some educational work about consent and boundaries but instead they just let her feel like s**t.”
Mafs couples that have stood the test of time
Loved-up Tayah Victoria and Adam Aveling of series six fame had the first Mafs baby.
The pair couldn’t keep their hands off each other on the programme and quickly found their feet in the outside world, moving into Adam’s Doncaster home.
Just 18 months after meeting, the couple welcomed their daughter Beau.
Season five couple Michelle Walder and Owen Jenkins also managed to make their marriage work away from the cameras and had their first child in December.
Teacher Michelle, 29, has no regrets about taking part in the experiment. She told us: “I just feel very lucky and thankful that it has worked out – and excited for everything to come.”
Michelle and Owen were both sick of dating apps when they applied in 2019.
Owen recalled: “I had been out for some drinks with a friend after work.
“While he was out for a cigarette I was scrolling on Instagram waiting for him to come back in.
“The MAFS advert was the last thing I saw, and I joked, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I signed up?’
“A few beers later when I was back at home I sent in the application, and the rest is history.”
Another couple to make Mafs UK history is Zoe Clifton and Jenna Robinson.
Despite a slight rocky start, where they clashed over Jenna’s vegan lifestyle, the show’s first same sex pairing are still going strong.
They even have a successful podcast together called Life With a Pod.
Jenna shed light on being involved in the show earlier this year when she told us: “We’re not legally married, and I never felt like we were. I definitely feel the process makes you take the relationship a lot more seriously and having the help of the experts… if you can survive that process it sets a firm foundation for a long-lasting relationship.”
A third then put: “This was so uncomfortable to watch!!!”
Another mused: “They need sex educator, sex therapists, safeguard leads who intervene!!”
FAN BACKLASH
Yet some fans called out Grace as “manipulative” and urged Ashley to “run away” after the dialogue unfolded.
It came as Grace revealed earlier in the week that Ashley picked up the bill after their date night.
But things quickly changed, as Grace explained: “Somewhere in between Ash picking up the bill and walking home, I develop this anxiety by having to keep Ash sweet.”
Grace said she became increasingly anxious that she would have to be intimate as a result.
Becoming emotional, Grace revealed she and Ashley discussed contraception, but she was left panicking about having to sleep with her husband after their date.
Ashley then recalled a recent intimate moment where she was rubbing her nose on his face.
But he told Grace on the couch: “You can’t do physical touch.”
Grace hit back, saying: “I feel what Ash brings to the group is not a reflection of what’s really happening – it’s an edited version.”
After the misunderstanding, the experts gave Ashley some advice on how he could frame his comments to Grace.
But viewers did not agree and said Ashley was not in the wrong as his intentions were never negative.
One wrote: “Grace manipulating the situation to make Ashley out to be a monster is awful. Get her off my screen.”
A second posted: “So Grace is this major feminist, yet is happy for Ashley to pay for everything. She’s made him look bad when all he is doing is trying to make a marriage work. What the hell did she expect going on this show?”
COUPLE AT WAR
Previously, before their honeymoon, Grace questioned once again if she wanted to continue with the experiment.
Ashley told the camera: “I don’t feel like I really know Grace, it’s been 10 or 12 hours.”
Grace admitted to producers that she “didn’t know if she was coming or going at the wedding” and was still feeling overwhelmed.
“Ashley and I aren’t aligning on certain values in terms of… he perhaps more old fashioned and I’m more liberal.”
Despite this, Grace admitted she was feeling more positive about the situation but that didn’t last long.
They received an envelope, which revealed they were going to Ko Samui in Thailand for their honeymoon.
Ashley then gave her a compliment and said he respected her more for not sleeping with him on the first night.
But a furious Grace asked if it would be an issue if she had wanted to sleep with him on the first night.
He explained: “Old school morals and people that respect themselves, that’s what I asked for and it is quite important to me.”
But she called him out on having “double standards”.
Ashley told the camera: “I’m taken back a bit, I don’t know why it went to that when I was giving her a compliment.”
Grace previously claimed talking to Ashley was akin to speaking to a ‘brick wall’[/caption]
She was less than impressed at the altar when she met her man[/caption]
Her cutting comment appears to signify the pair’s relationship may be in trouble[/caption]
